A Penny for your Thoughts: Oh, the Feels!
I read Four Simple Life Rules by Mary McCarthy over at SpliceToday.Com and the first thing I thought of was how I do things in my life.
I do things that make me happy and if something doesn’t make me happy, I think about how to do it in a way that will make it fun for me. Going to the day job means I can pay bills and put food in the fridge. And while I do enjoy my job for the most part, I’d rather be writing. So, I make it fun for me. I try to be witty and there’s always a high level of sarcasm – however, I’m also capable when it comes to what I do. I do my job, I do it to the best of my ability. It’s not often that I disappoint, but when I do, it usually ends up being because I didn’t speak up for one reason or another.
I wanted to take number 2 (Don’t take anything personally.) to another level, though. I feel that there are so many people out there incapable of deciding what to do next. Or what to do now. Or what to have for lunch. In other words, they wait for someone to tell them ‘do this next, do this now, eat that for lunch’. BUT, (there’s always a but) it ends up rubbing them the wrong way. Instead of deciding ‘maybe I should make my own choices’ they complain about the options they’ve been given.
People do take things so personally! I tilt my head at them and wonder ‘why do you care?’ because if they didn’t like something you did, that doesn’t take any of your skill away. It can actually add to your skill level. Every time I fail at picking a lock on Skyrim, I get more experience than if I get it on the first try. (And when you have over 600 lockpicks, who cares how many break?)
Just looking back over 2016, I feel like I have written a lot of good stories. I think if someone came up to me and told me to stop, I’d laugh in their face. I wouldn’t take it personally. If someone ripped apart one of my stories where other people loved it, I would take what I could out of the ‘bad’ review to help me write better the next time around.
We need to take back our personal power over our lives. Waiting for a sign and living on a prayer are all well and good, but perhaps the divinity you follow is rolling their eyes wondering why you’re sitting there doing nothing when you should be doing something! You’ve been given a life, you’ve learned skills, you might be special enough to have a talent. Don’t waste it.
Stop looking to other people to tell you how to feel, what to eat, what to do with your life. You need to find your path to happiness (as long as it doesn’t harm others. I’m not saying become a serial killer or anything, okay?).
